I Want Your Confession
by venomandchampagne
Summary: My Klaroline AU Week 2015 drabbles from tumblr. Rated M for Day 8.
1. Price of Fame

**These are my contributions to Klaroline AU Week 2015 on tumblr, October 5-12.**

 **(Fair warning, one of these contains character death. I really don't want to ruin the story by telling you which, but I promise I make up for it with plenty of tooth-rotting fluff, and some smut, so if you can stick it out, it will be worth your while. And these are all unrelated, so no worries there.)**

 **Day 1: All Human (Celebrities)**

 **For letsnotsaygoodbyethistime.**

 **In which Klaus and Caroline learn that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be.**

* * *

 _"Caroline! Over here!"_

 _"Give us a pose!"_

 _"Caroline, are you meeting Klaus?"_

Caroline shot a tight smile to the pack of photographers as she made her way to her car, trying to move quickly without looking like she was fleeing. She hoped they would be placated and quit hounding her for awhile, it was really getting ridiculous. Ever since her relationship with Klaus had gone public, the paparazzi had been after her nonstop, hoping to get a shot of Hollywood's hottest couple.

She sighed as she finally made it into the back of the black SUV, leaning her head back against the leather cushions and closing her eyes. It had been a long day of filming and then meeting her manager for dinner and of course the paparazzi had been there every step of the way and Caroline was just ready to crash.

"Ready to go home, gorgeous?"

She sent her driver/bodyguard a grateful smile. "God yes, Enzo. So ready."

The handsome man behind the wheel chuckled, sending her a smirk through the rearview mirror. "Right away then."

Caroline sank back into her seat, enjoying her first moments of peace in the entire day, or more like the entire week, really. She was so glad she had a day off coming up soon. Maybe she should see what Klaus had planned…

Her musings were interrupted by her cell buzzing, drawing a grimace from the blonde as she dug into her purse for the offending object. Her look of distaste quickly turned into a grin however as she noted the picture on her screen. _Speak of the devil…_

"Hey you," she answered with a grin, blush rising on her cheeks as she caught Enzo's knowing smirk in the mirror.

 _"Hello, sweetheart. Long day?"_

"Ugh, you have no idea!" Caroline sighed, head falling back as she stared at the ceiling of the car, listening to her boyfriend's answering chuckle.

 _"Well, considering I've been stuck at rehearsal for the last twenty hours, I may have some idea."_

Caroline scrunched her eyes shut in embarrassment. "Oh, right, sorry, I totally forgot about your recording schedule this week! I feel like an idiot," she groaned. "I'm probably the worst girlfriend ever."

 _"Only if you tell me you don't want to meet me for a nightcap in an hour."_

A smile crept onto her lips at the thought of seeing Klaus again. It had been almost a week since their busy schedules had allowed them to see each other and she was really starting to miss him. They had only been dating for about six months, but there had been an immediate attraction when they had initially met two years ago at an awards afterparty. Sometimes she wondered why she had turned down his initial attempts at 'courting her' as he called it, when she imagined the happiness she could have been experiencing all this time if she had just said 'yes.' But in the end Caroline supposed she wouldn't have wanted to give up the endless stream of flowers and phone calls and candy she received as he attempted to win her favor over the years. It had been worth it to see the former playboy change his ways and focus on only her. Good things came to those who waited, after all.

Before she could immediately accept, however, Caroline remembered what he had said. "But you just said you've been up for almost an entire day. Aren't you exhausted? You should go home and sleep."

 _"Caroline, you know how wired I get after a day in the studio. And besides, the only place I want to sleep is with you."_

"Klaus!" Her blush returned full force as she struggled to not let on to Enzo where the conversation was headed. Her efforts turned out to be in vain, however, if the low chuckle coming from the front seat was any indication.

 _"Come now, love. You can't tell me you haven't missed me. And it's been far too long since I've had you in my bed."_

"Well, that's- that's neither here nor there," she stuttered, bowing her head and lowering her voice. "You really should get some actual rest, Klaus."

 _"I promise to sleep after you help tire me out, how about that, sweetheart?"_

"Klaus-!"

 _"I'm not hearing a 'no.'"_

Caroline rolled her eyes, face bright pink at that point. How she could manage to act her way to an Oscar but still not be able to control her blush when her stupidly sexy boyfriend made innuendoes was beyond her. "You're incorrigible."

 _"That's what you love about me."_

She frowned playfully at the chuckling voice. "Yeah, yeah. You're lucky I do. So, my place, half an hour?"

 _"Try and stop me."_

"As if I could," she snorted, rolling her eyes.

 _"I think you mean, 'as if you'd want to.'"_

"Mmm, you'll just have to wait and see," Caroline teased, biting her lip as she thought ahead to what would undoubtedly be an entertaining night.

 _"Oh I most certainly will. See you soon, love."_

"You too. Love you," she said with a smile.

 _"Love you too, Caroline."_

She was brought out of her daze by Enzo clearing his throat, making her meet his eyes in the mirror.

"Headed home still? Or do you perhaps need to swing by the drugstore?" he suggested, giving her a knowing smirk. "Wouldn't want to be unprepared again."

"That was one time!" she yelled, somehow managing to pull off a scowl that was both angry and embarrassed.

Enzo chuckled, shaking his head as he took the exit ramp. "At least you're being safe, gorgeous, that's the important part."

"Enzo, if you weren't driving right now, I'd kill you."

* * *

Klaus ran a hand through his hair before ringing the bell, making sure he looked more purposefully disheveled than hasn't-showered-in-two-days-and-desperately-needs-a-haircut. He smiled when he heard Caroline call out for him to wait 'just a sec.'

"Hey," she greeted him with a grin, blue eyes shining when she opened her door.

"Hello, love," he said with an answering smile, leaning down to give her a sweet kiss before following her inside. "How was work?"

"Long and annoying," she said with a sigh as she waited for him to hang up his jacket and remove his shoes. "Working with the Salvatore brothers is a really great opportunity and all, but Damon just… Ugh! Sometimes I just want to snap his neck!"

Klaus chuckled. "I know how you feel. I had the displeasure of being seated next to him at a charity event a few years back. The man has to be one of the most self absorbed people I have ever known; and you've met my sister."

She grinned at his joke. "Yes, well, I'm pretty sure Damon is a million times worse than Rebekah. Pretty sure she hasn't practically sexually harassed half the crew on set in only two weeks of shooting."

"Mmm, you've got me there, sweetheart," he admitted, walking through the house to the living room with her. "How about we move on to more mannered topics? Like how you have been too busy for your adoring boyfriend lately."

Caroline laughed as she fell back onto the couch, curling right up against him when he joined her. "I'm very sorry, Klaus," she teased, giving him a kiss on the cheek in mock apology. "I've been too busy for everything lately, don't think you're special."

He smirked at her quip, pulling her against his side, enjoying the warmth of her soft body. He had missed feeling her next to him. "Well, I can see that, look at this place," he said playfully in return, gesturing around the room. There were a few books and sweaters strewn about, an extra glass or two that never made it to the sink, laptop and tablet sitting on the coffee table; in other words, it was a disaster area in Caroline's world. His eyes landed on a pile of mail on the end table. "And look at this, you haven't even had time to go through your mail. There must be… thirty envelopes here."

Caroline tensed for a moment as she took in the far too messy room until she realized he was teasing her. "Ha ha, you're hilarious. I've barely had any time to breathe, let alone go through my junk mail."

Klaus chuckled as he idly sifted through the mail, attempting to straighten the pile for her before something stuck out at him. "What's this?" he asked, frowning at an odd black envelope in the middle of the pile.

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly, her body going stiff for a mere moment before she hastily reached out and took the pile of mail away from him, placing it on the far table on the other side of the couch, out of sight. "It's nothing, just some fanmail, nothing important."

Klaus eyed her for a moment before he just shrugged it off. He received his fair share of inappropriate and annoying letters from fans that he would prefer Caroline not read too, so he wasn't about to pry. "Alright, well, what about that nightcap?" he suggested, changing the subject with a wry smirk.

Caroline narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him before she shifted, throwing a leg over his hips and straddling him. "I think we both know you didn't come here for a drink."

Klaus slid his hands up her hips as he chuckled, looking up at her hungrily. "I think that depends on what you have to offer," he husked before capturing her lips and swallowing her moan.

* * *

The next two days they were too busy to meet up, having to be content with phone calls and texts. That morning, however, was Caroline's day off, and Klaus had managed to finagle his way into taking the morning and afternoon off, intent on surprising her and spending it with the woman he loved. It was still a week until her actual birthday, but Klaus was never one to miss an opportunity to extend a celebration, and today was the perfect chance to start.

He slipped into her house using the key Enzo had given him, grinning to himself when he heard no sign of Caroline being awake yet. Good, he was still on track to surprise her with breakfast in bed and he was eager to see her and spend as much time with her as possible. Klaus toed off his shoes and crept up the stairs, grinning widely as he made his way through the quiet house.

He made his way down the hall, pausing briefly outside the door he knew led to the bathroom when his socked foot hit a wet spot. He looked down, but between the dark carpet and his black socks he couldn't tell what it was. Perhaps Caroline had already woken up and taken a shower?

"Caroline?" he called gently. "Are you up, sweetheart? I brought your favorite bagels and one of those overly sweetened drinks you call coffee."

Not hearing a reply, he continued down the hall, curious. Caroline wasn't usually a heavy sleeper, and Enzo had assured him she would still be home this early in the morning. It was possible she was exercising with her headphones in or out on the balcony, though he has assumed she would still be in bed, exhausted from work. Klaus eyed the open balcony door before he turned to open her bedroom, mentally crossing the idea that she was enjoying the early morning air off his list of possibilities.

As he opened her bedroom door, he was relieved to see her still in bed. "Wake up, love. I've brought you breakfast in bed. I know how much you adore those classic romantic gestures," he said teasingly as he moved through the room. "Some would say cliche, but since I'm such a marvelous boyfriend, I chose to go with 'classic.' Caroline?"

Usually he would have at least gained a grumble at this point. It was odd she hadn't acknowledged his presence yet. In fact, she hadn't even moved.

"Sweetheart? Are you feeling ill?" he asked with concern, moving to stand next to the bed. All he could see was her blond curls spilling across the pillow, her entire body and head covered by the blanket. "I'd be happy to spend the day making you feel better, just tell me what you need, love."

When there was still no response he set the bag of bagels on the nightstand, shifting the single red rose and tray of drinks into his other hand before he reached out to pull down the covers.

The drinks soon fell to the floor, latte and tea staining the white carpet as the rose bounced twice before rolling to the side, dark brown liquid moving towards it and soaking its petals. Klaus did not notice the mess, however, as he remained staring at the sight before him. Glassy blue eyes stared up at him, appearing to look right through him, though somewhere in his mind he registered they could see nothing at all.

His breath was stuck in his throat as his eyes roamed down too-pale skin, until it was released with a choking sound as he registered the red all over her chest. It was so dark, darker than the rose petals he noted, wondering why that was something that came to mind. The dark handle of the knife plunged between her breasts was a sharp contrast to the white and red, almost seeming out of place. Klaus wished it wasn't there, wished the red was gone too, but something told him that wish couldn't be granted.

He noticed her hands were placed on her stomach, a vaguely familiar black envelope clutched beneath them. Why, he wondered. Caroline hated black. She thought it was depressing and morbid. He would give anything for that to be gone as well.

A trail of red that ran from her body down the sheets caught his eye and Klaus followed it, watching the sticky looking red path wind its way down to the floor, a small pool forming next to the bed. Or had formed, he assumed; it looked dry now. How long did it take to dry?

His eyes were pulled across the floor then, back the way he came. He noticed a track of red footprints leading from the bedroom door to where he stood. Or rather, a track of one footprint. He was reminded his foot was still wet and he suddenly wanted to tear off his sock. He didn't though.

A second path of red led to the bathroom, that one much darker, deeper set into the rug. He could see a glimpse of the once white tile now stained an odd shade of pink. At least it wasn't red. Klaus hated red now.

His throat felt thick as his eyes pulled back to her. He took in the red, the black, the white, the blue and blonde. Colors he had liked, colors he had felt nothing towards before, colors he had loved on Caroline.

Now he just wished for a world of grey.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring at the wrong colors, feeling his world break. His foot was cold when his eyes started to burn, his face growing hot and damp as his legs gave out, his knees making a wet, thunking sound as they landed on the mess of red and brown on the rug.

Klaus didn't hear anything, but the burning at the back of his throat and the way his lips pulled back over his teeth told him he was screaming.


	2. Bright Light in Dark Times

**Day 2: The Past**

 **I used a prompt from natssoldier for this: World War II. Klaus is a vampire, and even in all his years he's never seen a war quite like this one. Walking through the halls of yet another full hospital for an easy snack, he comes across a most intriguing woman nursing the soldiers.**

 **In which Caroline in any era can still give Klaus pause.**

* * *

He was in a small town in France, Klaus didn't know the name, didn't much care. As long as he could find food, what did he care what the name of the small provincial town was? What's in a name, after all? Blood in any body tasted just as sweet as the next. And thanks to this latest war, blood was in great supply.

In his nearly one thousand years wandering the Earth, Klaus had never quite seen a war like the one that currently ravaged Europe (and Asia, though he hadn't traveled that far in a few centuries). The Great War had been brutal; so much death and in so many new and harsh ways, the vampire had thought it would never be surpassed. Yet this new war, this Second World War, put that one to shame.

Klaus tended to keep himself out of human affairs for the most part. Getting too involved drew too much attention, especially with the more prolific usage of modern photography these days. He and his family, if you could still even call them as such with most of them daggered in boxes, were still on the run from Mikael, and being in the spotlight was never a good idea. So he had steered clear of taking any roles of note, opting to pass himself off as an ordinary British soldier. It was the accent he was most familiar with, the one he always kept up to date with, so it was simple to move from one battlefield to the next, reveling in the ease in which he could satiate his hunger, caring not from which side his meals originated.

And that is how he found himself in the Allied camp, walking through the makeshift hospital that had been set up in what appeared to have been a textile factory of some sort before the war. Hospitals were by far the easiest way for him to find a meal, and when he didn't feel the urge for a more entertaining hunt, he would frequent them as his hunger arose. This particular camp was located a fair distance from the active battlefront, meaning most of the patients were fairly stable and of the long-term care variety, which suited Klaus just fine. It would involve more compulsion, of course, and he would generally have to leave his victims alive if he didn't wish to arouse much suspicion, but the ease of the meal made up for the extra effort.

"Hey, you there, soldier! Get over here and give me a hand!"

Klaus was interrupted from his perusal of the menu laid out on cots before him by a sharp voice, causing his lips to turn down in annoyance. His frown only deepened when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm, roughly jerking him across the room. Before he could chastise the soon-to-be-dead owner of said appendage, his eyes widened in surprise as he took in the form that had dared to manhandle him.

It was a nurse. That part wasn't so shocking; he was in a hospital after all. But the rest of her gave him pause. The blonde curls that were pinned back away from her pale face, the long legs her frumpy uniform did nothing to hide, the sinful shape of her body, the deep, blue eyes that were currently narrowed at him in a look of frustration. What was a beauty like her doing in the middle of a war?

"Hello? Can you hear me? If you have time to stand around gawking at my patients, you have time to help me move this man," she practically yelled at him, coming to a stop in front of yet another standard issue army cot, arms akimbo as she glared up at him.

Klaus could only stand there, staring at her with a mix of surprise and awe. What was wrong with him? He had seen plenty of woman in his time, woman of all shapes and sizes and flavors. What was it about this particular spunky blonde that was giving him pause?

"Wait, do you even speak English?" the woman asked suddenly, her annoyance turning to worry. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, you probably don't! You must think I'm nuts. And yet I'm still talking, basically to myself. So you're probably right," she rambled, clearly embarrassed.

Klaus found himself chuckling, which was as much a surprise as anything else. "Forgive me, sweetheart, I do in fact speak English," he finally said, giving her a practiced grin. "You just caught me off guard."

The nurse blushed faintly for a moment before her eyes narrowed once again. "Shouldn't a soldier always be on guard or something? How have you managed to survive this long if you lose your ability to speak because a nurse surprised you?" she grouched, clearly not impressed with his flirting, which once again shocked the vampire. Who was this girl?

"My apologies, Miss," he tried again, giving a small bow. "I'd be happy to make it up to you."

That only earned him an eyeroll. "Sure, you can make it up to me by helping me move this man onto the bed," she said shortly, gesturing to the unconscious man on the gurney.

"Of course, love," Klaus acquiesced, feeling a strange urge to know more about this odd girl who was not taken in by his usual tricks. "My name is Klaus, by the way."

The woman made no response as they both lifted the man into the bed and she proceeded to check him over before she was satisfied he was alright for the moment. Finally she turned back to Klaus. "Alright _Klaus_ , come with me. You've clearly got plenty of time on your hands, and I could use an extra pair."

Klaus followed dutifully behind her, regarding her with increasing curiosity as she led him through the hospital, pointing out more and more menial tasks she was planning on having him do.

"Caroline." she said abruptly as they stopped outside what appeared to be a storage room. "My name, it's Caroline," the nurse repeated, meeting his eyes.

" _Caroline_ ," he parroted back, tasting the name on his tongue, deciding he liked the flavor.

Almost as much as he enjoyed the way she seemed to shiver when he said it before she briskly turned away and walked into the room.

And so Klaus' time in that small town became more than a mere stop on a blood soaked journey across the war torn continent. He stayed, lingering there much longer than he usually would, one month, then two. He would visit Caroline in the hospital every day, helping her with various tasks, slowly learning more and more about the beautiful girl.

He learned that she was American and had joined the war effort as soon as her country had entered the war, wanting to put her skills to use and help everyone she could. The concept was foreign to Klaus; helping other people for purely selfless reasons was something he had abandoned long ago. Yet it triggered a small wave of long forgotten memories, from when he was human, before he became a monster. He found himself wishing that he had known her then, before his life had become nothing but blood and hunger; he thought she might have liked the man he once was. The thought confused him greatly.

He learned she was from a small town, had expected to live a small town life with a small town husband and raise small town children. But the spark in her eyes he had seen the moment they first met told him that would never have been enough for her. Caroline was meant for greater things, and he found himself wanting to give them to her.

Of course none of this changed the fact that he still was a monster, a blood sucker who required regular meals from her patients. But much to his surprise Klaus found himself sparing them. He only fed as much as he needed, biting in inconspicuous and already wounded areas, covering his tracks and letting them live. What was more surprising was that he found he didn't mind. As long as it meant he could spend more time with her.

But as was always the case in Klaus' life, his moment of happiness and peace (ironic he managed to find such in the midst of a war), was not meant to last.

It was night when the first shells fell, the small encampment bombarded by enemy fire. Klaus quickly found himself running across the town, ignoring the fires and screams and explosions all around him, only one thought running through his mind: _Caroline_.

He knew where he would find her, where she would go as soon as the fighting started. Klaus raced into the hospital, undead heart beating wildly in his chest as he searched for her, running from room to room until finally he spotted blonde hair bent over a freshly wounded soldier, attempting to staunch the flow of blood.

"Caroline! I need to get you out of here, it's not safe!"

Her head whipped up at his cry a small smile curling her lips as her eyes landed on him before she returned to reality, face turning serious as she resumed her life saving efforts. "You know I can't leave them, Klaus," she said sternly even as he skidded to a stop next to her. "I have to help them."

"Sweetheart, I admire your desire to help, really I do, but this hospital is a large target. Please, let me take you somewhere safe until the bombings have stopped," he found himself pleading, desperately willing her to go with him as he grasped her arm.

"I can't," she repeated, more firmly this time, turning to spare him a determined look.

As her eyes met his Klaus was about to force her to leave, compelling her if necessary, when time ran out. The world around them suddenly exploded, white obscuring his vision before everything went black.

The next time he opened his eyes all he could see was grey. After a moment he realized he was buried underneath a layer of rubble, the hospital clearly having taken a hit of enemy fire. Klaus quickly dislodged himself, moving the hundreds of pounds of stone and wood with ease, desperate to find her once more.

"Caroline!" he cried out, voice hoarse from his rapidly healing injuries. "Caroline! Where are you?!"

Had it not been for his supernatural hearing he would not have heard the small gasp of his name. Klaus quickly flashed in that direction, heaving up a great slab of stone in his frenzy to reach her before it was too late.

But his timing had always been poor, he knew. That didn't make the sight before him any easier to take.

The normally lively blonde he found underneath the fallen walls was now barely alive. She was covered in dust from the building collapse, her golden hair and bright blue eyes mere shadows of their usual beauty. And the blood, there was so much blood. If Klaus had not just eaten the day before, he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to control his features from shifting at the scent that currently assaulted him. Her blood smelled as good as she did, better even. It made the monster inside of him try and claw its way out, to sate its instinctive desires with her blood and flesh.

But he pushed down the urge, clearing his mind of the press of hunger before he gently reached down, cradling her broken body to his.

"Klaus," she whispered, eyes blinking up at him, full of pain. "I'm sorry… I should have listened…"

"Shh, it's alright, love," he crooned, brushing dust from her face as he held her tenderly. "I'll help you, I can make it right."

She looked up at him with what seemed like pity. She knew she was going to die and there was nothing anyone could do for her now. "I'm sorry," she repeated, voice barely a whisper now. "I don't want to leave you…"

"Then don't," he said forcefully, bringing a wrist to his mouth and biting down harshly as his fangs descended. "Stay with me. Forever."

Caroline blinked up at him in confusion. "Klaus…?"

He could see the effort it was taking her to remain conscious, to not slip away. "I can save you, Caroline. I can turn you into what I am. I'm a monster, love, but I know you could never be, no matter what you are." He wasn't sure why he was explaining this to her, why he was giving her a choice instead of just forcing her to stay with him. But something within him needed her permission, needed her to want to be with him.

"I don't… understand," she gasped out, eyes fluttering as she struggled to keep looking at him.

"Do you trust me?" Klaus asked suddenly, gaze piercing her as he studied her face. He had never cared about having someone's trust before, never needed or wanted it, yet somehow with Caroline… Everything was different.

She forced herself to look at him then, a look of concentration on her face. "Yes."

The single word filled Klaus with a long forgotten emotion, making him feel suddenly so much lighter. "Then drink," he whispered, pressing his bleeding wrist to her lips, watching the pale pink skin turn red with his blood.

Caroline stared at him with wide eyes before they slowly slipped closed, a spike of panic shooting through Klaus. Then he felt her tongue on his skin, pulling his blood into her mouth for a few moments before her body went slack in his grip. Klaus gently let down her head, pulse racing as he squeezed his wrist, causing more blood to drip into her slightly open mouth before he was satisfied.

When he reached down his chest clenched as he was unable to find a pulse. Was he too late? Did he wait too long to give her his blood? Klaus shook his head, forcing the thoughts from his mind. No, she had swallowed enough, she would turn. She would come back. Back to him.

"Come on, love, let's get you out of here," he whispered as he lifted her lifeless body from the ground, clutching her against his chest as if she was the most precious thing in the world; and to him she was. "There's a whole world out there I want to show you."


	3. 150

**Day 3: The Future**

 **I used a prompt from natssoldier again for this: A hundred and fifty years following the end of S3, except Klaus remained desiccated and the Salvatores shipped the coffin away to be dumped in the ocean. Now, with a better understanding of what it is to be a vampire, Caroline's guilt over what they did to Klaus has reached an all-time high. She does some recon in hopes of finding where the Salvatores had him dumped and attempts freeing him.**

 **In which Caroline learns that even the bottom of the ocean is not far enough away to keep him from her thoughts.**

* * *

A hundred and fifty years following the end of S3, except Klaus remained desiccated and the Salvatores shipped the coffin away to be dumped in the ocean. Now, with a better understanding of what it is to be a vampire, Caroline's guilt over what they did to Klaus has reached an all-time high. She does some recon in hopes of finding where the Salvatores had him dumped and attempts freeing him :)

It was colder than she expected. The ocean mist and the waves splashing over the sides of the ship made the night air feel much colder than it really was. Caroline pulled the heavy raincoat tighter around her body and she braced herself against the rigging as another wave crashed against the fishing trawler. She thanked her vampire system for taking care of the awful seasickness she used to get when she was still a human and her dad had taken her out on the lake in the summers.

But that felt like a lifetime ago; about two, in fact. It had been about one hundred and fifty years since she had been human. One hundred and fifty years since Klaus had been desiccated and dumped in the ocean by the Salvatores; dumped somewhere near where she was at that very moment. And it had been about one hundred and forty five years since her guilt over allowing it to happen had overwhelmed her.

Caroline gazed out at the dark sea, her improved night vision picking up the rolling waves further away than any human would have been able to, but they were already too far out on the open ocean to make out the coast any longer, so her heightened senses did nothing but remind her of why she was there in the first place.

Klaus.

When she had first heard the news of his desiccation, she had been happy; hell she had thrown a party! No more Original Hybrid messing with her, with _their_ lives! No more bracelets or romantic drawings or interference in her confusing relationship with Tyler. No more trying to use Elena as a blood bag or trying to kill her friends or their families. No more ruining her dances. They were free. She _should_ have been happy.

And she was. For a good fifty years, she was. She played at being human. And she was good at it too. She went to college a few times, ran a couple successful careers, moved around, saw some of the world. She saw her friends, made new ones, kept being the poster girl for incontrol vampires, converted more and more wayward vamps to the B+ blood bag lifestyle. She had relationships, long and short, she loved and lost and loved again. She had a good life and she enjoyed it.

Until she ran into Rebekah in the early 2060s.

Caroline almost didn't recognize the Original. Her hair was short whereas Caroline had grown hers out. Rebekah's flashy, 'look at me' style that Caroline had been used to back in Mystic Falls was gone, leaving an easily passed over girl in her place. She was sitting in a coffee shop, mindlessly flicking through the holographic screen of her phone, looking almost depressed when the younger vampire spotted her. Caroline still didn't understand what had possessed her to join the girl at her table, it wasn't like they were ever anything close to friends; rivals would probably be the nicest word to describe their relationship. Plus Rebekah could and quite possibly would kill her on sight. But something about the other girl pulled Caroline in.

Thankfully Rebekah hadn't been in much of a killing mood. Actually, the older vampire didn't seem to be in much of any mood at all. She had actually seemed… _relieved_ to see Caroline, which certainly threw Caroline for a loop. And they actually talked, having a real conversation, which confused Caroline even more. Until Rebekah started talking about her family.

Apparently after the Salvatores had hidden Klaus' body, the remaining Originals had scattered, fleeing from Alaric. He was basically another Mikael, hunting them down relentlessly, only Alaric was impossible to stop. Not used to being on her own, Rebekah had struggled, having far too many close calls with the immortal hunter before she had managed to track down Elijah in Russia. She had stuck with him for a few decades, even after Katherine had joined him, which surprised Caroline on multiple levels. When Rebekah told her about Kol joining the three in the 40's, Caroline almost wished she had been there to see the circus that must have been.

Caroline had been confused after that. Rebekah had finally reunited with her family, all the ones not trapped in a box on the ocean floor, anyway, so why was she so depressed? Apparently in 2051 everything had changed. Caroline immediately knew why, though she waited for Rebekah to tell her. That was the year Elena died, and consequently so did Alaric. Even though the Salvatores had done their best to protect her and keep her safe from the Originals and any other supernatural threats, there was no way to protect her from a random brain aneurysm. At least Elena had managed to have the human life she had always dreamed of, she had even met her first grandchild before she died.

When the Originals got word that the threat was gone, their happy little family had dispersed. Kol had been the first to leave, heading off to parts unknown to do whatever it was that Kol did; Caroline didn't really want to know the details. Elijah and Katherine had headed off a few years later, wanting to enjoy the freedom of no longer being hunted and explore their relationship without the threat of death hanging over them. Rebekah had been less than thrilled at the prospect of being the third wheel again, so she was left on her own.

Caroline felt sorry for the girl. It was clearly difficult for Rebekah to be alone. She had been solely dependant on her family for a thousand years, give or take the few centuries or so she was in a box; it had to be hard to go from that to being on your own. And it's not like the Original had the best personality for making friends, even if the entire supernatural world hadn't already been wary of the entire Mikaelson family to begin with.

So somehow Caroline became her friend. It was odd at first, certainly. But eventually she realized they had a lot in common, much more than her seventeen year old self, the original seventeen, not the perpetual one she was now, had ever been willing to admit. She even ended up moving to Spain with Rebekah, and if someone had told her fifty years ago that that would happen, she would have laughed until she cried and then she would have compelled them to lay off the drugs.

And it was nice. And fun. Rebekah helped her embrace the parts of vampirism she had always shied away from. Caroline still didn't kill, not unless she had to to defend herself, but the rest, the compulsion and the feeding from the vein, she slowly became used to it. And in return she gave Rebekah the company she so desperately craved.

Yet she couldn't fill the entire void left by the girl's missing family. Especially the emptiness that used to be filled by Klaus. Caroline hadn't realized the two had been so close. But the way Rebekah's eyes lit up when she told stories about their time together, the way she talked about him… She made Klaus sound almost human.

And that's when Caroline began seeing the humanity in the things Klaus had done and said to her. She began seeing him as less of the pure evil villain and as more of the protective older brother, the emotionally stunted boy who had to grow up too fast, the love-struck man who was not as smooth as he thought but smoother than she had wanted to admit. She saw him as someone with flaws and issues but also good points and strengths. She saw him as someone who didn't deserve an eternity in a box at the bottom of the ocean because he was no better or worse than any of them in the end.

She saw him as human.

If there was anything Caroline Forbes was good at, it was pretending everything was fine. Until she couldn't anymore. And the moment she admitted that Klaus wasn't all bad was the beginning of the end for her clear conscience.

She was able to ignore it at first. Even as the decades passed and the nagging voice at the back of her mind whispering doubts every time she heard Klaus' name grew louder and louder, she could still tune it out. Even when she and Rebekah met up with Elijah and Katherine, who she surprisingly also became friends with over the years, she was still able to suppress her guilt. Even though the inclusion of Elijah in her life meant more stories about the man she could now scarcely go a day without thinking about, still she managed to convince herself there was nothing she could do.

It wasn't until she had known Kol for two decades, considered him a good friend for almost as long, when she could no longer deny the guilt she felt. It had happened one night while they were in Elijah's wine cellar in Italy, attempting to drink as many of the eldest Original's precious ridiculously expensive vintages as possible in revenge for some petty slight she could no longer remember, when Kol had turned to her, sloshed out of his mind.

"I miss him, you know?" he had slurred out of the blue, gesturing wildly with a bottle of a 1992 Le Pin. "Nik was a right bastard at times, but he was my brother and I know he cared 'bout me and Bekah and 'Lijah. I just… miss him."

That was the moment her heart broke, along with the bottle of 1974 Petrus that fell from her hand.

That had been five years ago and the next day, well the day after the next, when her hangover had finally cleared, she had begun her efforts to find a way to free Klaus.

She had done it in secret at first, not wanting to get anyone's hopes up if she couldn't manage it. After all, she was sure the Originals had tried to find him themselves, especially after the threat of Alaric was gone. If they hadn't managed to find him, what could she hope to accomplish? But then again, she had something they didn't.

An in with a Salvatore.

Stefan and Damon were the only two people on Earth who knew where Klaus was. And they had managed to keep under the Originals' radar for almost one hundred and fifty years. Kol claimed to have had a run in with Damon a decade earlier and had spent a good week torturing the man trying to find the location; and also probably just for fun too, knowing Kol, not that Caroline could blame him. But apparently the brothers were smarter than anyone gave them credit for, having had a witch cast a spell so they could never be forced to tell the location to anyone, even under compulsion. Caroline still wasn't certain why Kol ended up letting Damon go, but she had a feeling the Original just wanted to have the option of torturing the elder Salvatore in the future. Again, Caroline could see the appeal in that.

So Caroline would have to get them to tell her willingly. It wasn't going to be easy, she knew that. Hell, it took her an entire year to track them down. But she was still on good terms with Stefan, at least she had been the last they spoke seven years ago. She wasn't too sure what his reaction would be if he knew she was all buddy-buddy with the Originals now. She just hoped her persuasive skills were as good as she thought they were, and that Stefan would remember all the times she had helped his ripper self through vampire rehab.

When she finally did meet up with Stefan it had been more difficult to convince him to give her the location than she expected. He had heard about her new friends and was less than thrilled she had gotten herself mixed up with the Originals of all vampires. There was a lot of self righteous talk and Elena's name thrown out here and there, and the matter wasn't helped when Damon showed up and added in his two sense. That visit had ended up with Damon's neck snapped, Caroline had silently thanked Katherine for her self defense lessons, and Stefan less than thrilled with her.

So she tried to do it on her own. She hired people to go back and dig up everything they could on the brothers, trying to see if there was a location they frequented where Klaus might be. She left no stone unturned, sifting through documents and reports for years as information came to her, finding nothing. She even visited witches, associates of Kol's that were trustworthy, to see if they could either lift the spell on the Salvatores or locate Klaus on their own. But everything proved fruitless, only adding to her guilt.

It was Katherine who discovered what she was doing first. The brunette vampire had been snooping through Caroline's computer, which she freely admitted to of course, when she found some of Caroline's research. What surprised Caroline was that Katherine wasn't against her finding Klaus.

"I'm not completely heartless, Caroline," Katherine had declared. "Elijah is my heart," she said in a rare moment of sentiment, "and even though he is careful to never say anything in front of me, I know he misses that psychopath. And it hurts me to see him like that. So if you can get Klaus to promise to leave me in peace, and if anyone can it's you, then I'll help you find him. And just to be clear, I'm doing this for Elijah, not for you."

And she did. Katherine was more well connected than Caroline could have imagined. Though she really shouldn't have been surprised. The woman had managed to hide from Klaus for five hundred years; you don't pull something like that off on your own. With her help Caroline managed to learn that the Salvatores had taken a boat out into the Pacific from Washington a few months after Klaus was desiccated. Caroline couldn't help but think that was almost a step backwards. The Pacific Ocean was large and it would be near impossible to find Klaus without further narrowing it down. But everyone who would have been on that boat was dead and gone, leaving no one to compel answers from. Which left them right back at square one with Damon and Stefan being the only lead.

This time she brought Katherine with her to visit the two, which neither brother was too thrilled with. They were even less thrilled when Katherine made a quick phone call after an hour of talking in circles and Rebekah showed up. Caroline was no less surprised. She knew Katherine and Rebekah had buried the proverbial hatchet almost a century ago, but she was still surprised to see the brunette looking out for the blonde, even, dare she say, caring about Rebekah.

Once Damon was once again in a heap on the floor as a result of his runaway mouth, Rebekah turned to Stefan and did the last thing Caroline expected: she cried. She cried for her missing brother, her broken family, her terrible parents, her lost youth, her stolen humanity, the monster she had been forced to become.

And that's what finally got through to Stefan.

Caroline wasn't sure if it was the tears or the words or the history the two shared that made the difference, or perhaps it was a combination. But it didn't really matter, as Stefan gave them the longitude of the location where Klaus was resting on the ocean floor.

Unfortunately the spell the brothers had cast on them also made it so no one could find the exact location without both brothers' consent. Stefan could only reveal the longitude while Damon held the latitude. One was practically useless without the other.

Once Damon regained consciousness, he was met by three very displeased vampire women. Various threats were made, Damon griped at Stefan who just rolled his eyes, clearly more than used to it; all in all they got nowhere fast. That is until Katherine reminded Damon of his most recent quality time with Kol and how the bat wielding Original would just love to get another crack at him, quite literally. Rebekah chimed in with a few possible nonlethal but oh so painful methods of 'persuasion' that Kol was fond of, and Caroline couldn't help but add that they did have eternity after all and she would be more than happy to help Kol mix it up if he ever got bored.

Caroline liked to think it was the look in her own angry eyes that finally swayed Damon, but in the end it didn't really matter. They got the coordinates and left the Salvatores with a promise of immunity and another broken neck for Damon, and one less kidney after he made a parting comment about Rebekah's ass, but Caroline was pretty sure that would grow back. Or not, she really didn't care.

And that's how she ended up on a boat off the coast of Alaska in the middle of the night, freezing cold and surrounded by a crew of compelled fisherman and her new family. Which is what she considered them now, she realized as she looked away from the rising swells and towards the dimly lit cabin. She could just make out Elijah and Katherine arguing, wild hand gestures and rolled eyes and deep sighs which were quickly followed by shy smiles and deep kisses. Caroline hid a smile as she turned to look towards the other end of the boat. Rebekah stood by the rail, looking anxiously into the deep waters, as if she would be able to spot Klaus' prison from the surface. Caroline watched Kol tease her, sparking a familiar argument between the two, but Caroline had long ago noticed the way Kol's mouth twitched into the grin he only wore around his sister and the way Rebekah's eyes softened even as she sniped at him. These four vampires had somehow become her family and she was more than ready to add one more to that number.

If he would forgive her, of course.

She could feel the boat come to a stop, engines cutting as they reached the designated area. She was filled with a rush of nerves as Elijah appeared from the cabin, catching her eyes as Rebekah and Kol went silent behind her.

"They've located something underneath us," he announced, watching the crew begin to ready the equipment. "It's the proper size, but we won't know for sure until we bring it up."

"I told you we should have compelled a boat with more modern technology," Kol groused, rolling his eyes. "But noooo, you wanted to be less conspicuous"

Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Kol, you know we still have many enemies who would jump at the chance to get ahold of Niklaus in a weakened state. We cannot afford to draw attention to ourselves."

Caroline interrupted Kol's next words, cutting off his inevitable arguing-for-argument's sake tendency. "Guys, we're already here, let's not waste time arguing about how we got here and focus on rescuing Klaus."

"Caroline's right," Rebekah said, pushing passed Kol and walking up to Elijah. "Elijah, can't you make these people work any faster?"

"They're doing their best, Rebekah. They're currently preparing the gear to haul up the, erm, container," Elijah assured her, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Kol scoffed. "Why don't you call it what it is. It's a tomb, 'Lijah, just say it."

"Kol! How dare-"

"Rebekah!" Katherine called, interrupting the blonde Original's incoming tirade. "Could you come help me get the blood ready? And maybe pick out some clothes. I'm sure your dear brother is going to want to change out of his hundred and fifty year old crimes against fashion. That is if there's even still any fabric left. What's the rate of decay on cotton, Elijah?"

Elijah, who had momentarily looked grateful for Katherine's distraction, sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Rebekah, would you please assist Katherine in preparing the room below deck for Klaus? Kol, make sure nothing goes wrong with the hydraulics. And no harassing the workers," he added as an afterthought, wiping the smirk from Kol's face. "Caroline, if you would join me in the cabin?"

Caroline knew that even though it was phrased as a question it really wasn't one.

Though she had known Elijah as more than the stoic, suit-loving eldest Original for almost a century now, Caroline still dreaded his 'talks.' He always managed to add an edge of threatening undertone in such a way that made you doubt it was really there, even though it was foolish to do so. Caroline was fairly certain that Elijah would never harm her, not unless she gave him a much greater reason than most to do so, yet she still didn't enjoy his little interrogations masked as conversations.

"What exactly do you plan to do, Caroline," he asked as soon as the cabin door shut behind them.

Straight to the point as usual. "What do you mean, Elijah?" Caroline asked, genuinely confused. She had thought her intentions were fairly obvious by now.

"With Niklaus."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly around the ship.

"I mean once he is awake," Elijah continued, catching and holding her gaze. "Why are you doing this?"

"I thought I had made that clear. I regret the part I played in his desiccation. No one deserves one hundred and fifty years stuck at the bottom of the ocean in a perpetual state of awareness."

He continued to stare at her, studying her thoroughly before he responded. "Is that the only reason?"

Caroline faltered at that, not expecting such a question. "I don't know what you mean."

"I was informed about the relationship between you and Niklaus before his entombment. Does that not factor into your motives?"

"Klaus and I were _not_ in a relationship," Caroline scoffed suddenly feeling like she was one hundred and fifty years in the past again, which was somewhere she definitely did not wish to be. "We… might have been something, one day," she admitted quietly, more to herself than to Elijah. "I honestly don't know what we are, what we could be."

He made a humming sound, in agreement or just acknowledgement that she had spoken Caroline wasn't sure. "But you'd like to find out once he is free, yes? If there could be something between you two?"

"Would it be so bad to say 'yes'?" she asked quietly, looking away. She looked back when he touched her arm, a small smile on his face.

"Caroline, I waited five hundred years to be with Katherine. One hundred and fifty is not so strange to me."

She smiled at that, was about to say something when Kol's yell reached their ears. Both vampires turned, seeing the Original on deck gesturing to them as the stared intently at the water.

"It's almost up," he called out to them once they returned to the deck. "I hope you've got the crowbar ready."

Elijah rolled his eyes. As if they would have to resort to something as primitive as a crowbar in this day and age.

The large concrete container broke the surface of the water then and was quickly hauled on deck. As soon as it hit the metal floor crewmen were working in a compelled daze to open it. Caroline watched with baited breath next to the Original brothers as the concrete gave way, revealing a wooden coffin in surprisingly good shape.

"It's really him," she breathed, unable to tear her gaze away.

As one, the three walked forward hesitantly, almost afraid any sudden movement would break some spell and the coffin would disappear from their sight. Once they reached it Elijah stretched his hand forward, easily breaking the chains on the lid and slowly opening it. Their breaths caught in their throat as they took in the sight of Klaus' grayed skin, body wrapped in chains as he lay seemingly asleep in the coffin.

"Niklaus," Elijah whispered, reaching a hand out to his brother but stopping just short of touching him.

"Nik… Uh, hey, wake up already!" Kol eventually managed to say, his carefree facade a poor replacement for his usual attitude.

Caroline glanced at both brothers when Klaus continued to remain motionless, eyes closed as if he was truly dead. It scared her, she realized, the idea of his death, even though she knew he was alive. Or as alive as any of them were.

Her eyes met each of theirs in turn, Kol raising his brows expectantly at her while Elijah merely looked from her to Klaus and back, silently telling her to try to gain Klaus' attention herself.

Caroline took a deep breath, gathering all the strength that she had learned to embrace over the last century and a half, and leaned forward. "Klaus, please, open your eyes. We've come to get you. Don't you remember, you promised to show me the world? I still haven't been to Rome or Paris or Tokyo, you know. I was waiting for you to show them to me. So please, wake up."

She held her breath, staring down at the face that had haunted her dreams for an eternity of seventeen.

And she watched his eyes open.


	4. Inter-house Relations

**Day 4: Fusions/Crossovers**

 **So I owed the lovely bellarkemeetsagain a birthday drabble and she had asked for some Klaroline-Dramione, which is a perfect fit for Fusions/Crossover Day, so this is what I came up with.**

 **(This is a mesh of my movie and fanfic knowledge of Harry Potter, so you'll have to keep that in mind. Many thanks to letsnotsaygoodbyethistime for helping me make it work!)**

 **Happy Birthday Brittany! I hope you enjoy :)**

 **In which Caroline and Klaus work on furthering the relationship between their two houses.**

* * *

"See you guys tomorrow!" Caroline called behind her as she left Charms, clutching her books to her chest as she made her way down the hall. She dodged around the crowds of students littering the halls with practiced ease, making her way to the library. Today was the day they got in the latest edition of Hogwarts: A History, and Caroline would be damned if she let the snobby Rebekah Mikaelson get to it before her!

She had almost managed to reach the last staircase on her route when she was abruptly stopped in her tracks by a voice calling her name. His voice.

"Oh, Caroline. Where are you running off to in such a hurry, sweetheart?"

Caroline grit her teeth as she turned to the source of the voice, keeping a tight smile on her face and her hands gripped tightly to her books in order to control herself from cursing or using her wand on the person in front of her. "What do you want, Klaus?" she bit out, voice dangerously sweet.

The Slytherin merely chuckled, ever-present smirk crossing his lips as he looked her up and down. "I merely wanted to have a chat. Nothing wrong with that, now is there?"

She sent him a glare. "Oh no, of course not. Except it's never just a 'chat' with you, is it?" Caroline turned her scowl on his cronies Damon and Kol, rolling her eyes when they both flinched momentarily at the heat in her eyes before collecting themselves. "Don't make me repeat myself again, Klaus. What. Do. You. Want."

Klaus had the audacity to grin at her then. "You know me so well, love! Indeed I did need to talk to you about the patrol rotations. You see-"

"Oh, no, not this again! I've told you before, you cannot just give Slytherin all the 'easy' times and routes! It's not gonna happen!"

"But Caroline, as Head Boy-"

"As Head Girl," she hissed, cutting him off again, "I'm not going to let you mess with the schedule I spent weeks setting up! If you had wanted more input in it then you should have shown up at the damn meetings!"

Kol's sniggering was cut off by a sharp look from Klaus before the Head Boy turned back to Caroline, approaching her and grabbing her elbow.

"Perhaps we should continue this discussion elsewhere, sweetheart," he suggested through clenched teeth, beginning to steer her down another hall.

"Oh, sure, wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your goons any further," she said loudly, smirking as she heard a mix of laughter and indignant sounds coming from Kol and Damon as Klaus led her away.

Once they had rounded a few corners and were in a less frequented hall, Klaus suddenly tightened his grip on her arm, pulling her into an alcove hidden behind a tapestry. Caroline found herself pinned against the wall, Klaus' hands on either side of her head as he held her in place, his body pressing against hers, pushing her books uncomfortably against her chest.

"Goons? Really?"

Caroline's frown turned into a grin as she laughed, attempting to stifle the sound with a hand. "And what would you prefer I call them? Henchmen? Lackies? Stooges? Flunkies? Should I keep going?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I would prefer you didn't. One day that brain of yours is going to get you into trouble."

Her smile turned coy as she looked up at him through her lashes. "And what would you call this situation I'm in right now, hmm?"

His eyes lit up as he hummed in agreement. "Yes, I think you're right about that. The question is, what are you going to do about it, Brightest Witch of Your Age?"

Caroline looked at him consideringly for a moment. "This," she whispered, dropping her books from her arms and pulling him to her by the front of his robe, crashing her lips to his in a bruising kiss. She spared a moment of worry over her fallen books before she was swept up in Klaus' arms, his mouth molded to hers as he pressed her against the wall. It had been a week, after all, that was what was behind her unusual disregard for the written word, or at least that's what she told herself.

"God, I've missed you," he groaned against her lips, unable to get enough of her.

"Mmm, I can tell," she husked, hands moving around his back to clutch at him, drawing him impossibly closer. "Is that a wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" she teased, pressing her hips against his with a smirk.

"Caroline," Klaus growled, wiping the smirk off her face with a particularly frenzied kiss.

When they finally pulled back for air Klaus leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Caroline closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the rare stolen moment of peace they had managed to find for their forbidden romance.

"This is getting more and more difficult, you know," she sighed, opening her eyes to look at his. "Bonnie and Elena are becoming more suspicious each day. I can't keep saying I'm in the library all the time."

"But you almost always are," he quipped, chuckling when she gave his arm a playful swat.

"I'm serious!"

Klaus gave her a placating smile. "I know, love. It's difficult for me to get away too. Though how you can't fool those two best friends of yours when you're all in different houses I will never understand."

Caroline sighed, shaking her head. "I just don't like lying to them. We've been through so much…"

"Hey," he said gently, tipping her chin up and cutting off her thoughts before they could wander down a dark path. "The War is over, you don't need to worry about any of that anymore."

She gave him a tentative smile, taking a deep breath as she tried to focus on the present.

"You know, love," Klaus began softly, fingers fiddling with her yellow and black striped tie, something she noticed he did when he was nervous. "We could always just tell them."

"I thought we decided it was better to keep this, us, a secret," she said in surprise, eyes wide as she tilted her head to get a better look at him.

"I know, but all this secrecy… I know it's not really in your nature," he said, giving her a small smile. "Plus it is getting rather difficult to not grab you and snog you senseless every time I see you."

"Klaus!" she hissed, cheeks flushing red at his words.

"Don't tell me you don't feel the same, Caroline," he purred as he leaned in to let his breath tickle her ear. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could do this in public without having to worry?"

She couldn't help the snort that burst from her lips. "We can't do this in public whether we're a secret couple or not."

"Mmm, pity," he hummed, kissing her cheek before pulling away. "Think about it though, love. It's your call."

"I will," she said, smiling shyly at him before she caught sight of her scattered books from the corner of her eye. "Damnit, if any of these are bent…!"

"I believe you were the one to drop them," Klaus chuckled, stepping back to watch her scramble to pick up her books. "You were eager to, what did you say, find my wand?"

"I said no such thing!"

He merely smirked at her red tinged cheeks before moving back towards the entrance to the alcove. "Well, you certainly didn't protest at all either."

Caroline scowled at him as she smoothed her curls back into place. "You'd better hope your infuriating sister didn't get to the library before me because of this little escapade, or I'll show you a protest."

His eyebrows raised at her words, a peculiar look crossing his face as he fully turned back to face her. "Ah yes, that book you love came out with a new edition recently, did it not?"

"Yes…" she said slowly, giving him a curious look. "And your sister was determined to get to it before me, so if you don't mind-"

Klaus stopped her, placing his hands on her shoulders before she could move passed him. "Oh, you mean… This book?" he asked with a sly grin, pulling out the leather bound book from his robes.

"How did- what-?" she stuttered staring wide eyed at the book, hand reaching out reverently.

"I stopped by before my Potions class this morning," he said with a self-satisfied smirk, holding the book just out of her reach. "Thought it might be an interesting read."

"Klaus…" Caroline said, her voice an odd mix of a whine and a growl as her eyes remained fixated on the book.

He chuckled, finally bringing his hand down. "Alright, alright. I got it for you when I heard Bekah was planning to beat you to it."

"So you snakes can be sweet, huh?" she snarked, still annoyed with his little keep-away game.

"Oh, I'd be happy to show you just how sweet, love," he purred, the smile curling his lips simply sinful.

"I'd rather just have the book, thanks."

"You wound me, Caroline!" Klaus said, feigning hurt. "You can have your precious book, if you pay the toll."

Caroline narrowed her eyes before a smile crossed her lips. "Okay, fine. Close your eyes," she said, her voice suddenly low and seductive.

Klaus was more than happy to comply, a smirk on his face as he waited with eyes shut. Suddenly he heard the words "Accio Klaus' underwear," before he felt a painful tugging at his groin as his underwear was literally torn from his body. His eyes flew open as a groan left his mouth as he took in the sight of a smug Caroline holding his emerald green boxer briefs in her hand along with her wand, with Hogwarts: A History neatly added to her stack of books in the other. He hadn't even noticed when she grabbed it.

"Thanks for the book, Klaus," she said, smiling brightly up at him. "I think I'll just hold onto these," she added, tucking his underwear under her robe along with her wand before giving him a wink and disappearing behind the tapestry.

Klaus could only watch open mouthed in awe as she left. "Sometimes I wonder if you shouldn't have ended up in Slytherin too, Caroline," he whispered to himself, shaking his head before he made his exit as well, limping slightly down the hall.


	5. The Manny- Part II- Spaghetti Oh-Noes

**Day 5: All Human (Regular Joes)**

 **Since she asked so nicely, I decided to do a second part of my drabble "The Manny" (which you can find Part I of in my drabble collection 'However Long It Takes' Chapter 43) for queenvampirebarbie ;) . This is set right after the first drabble, so you should probably read that first.**

 **(FYI I am making a concerted effort to update my AO3 with all my stories, where I can link things together so much neater and simpler, if you would rather check my fics out there instead of dealing with FFN's nonsense: just look for my profile 'sushibunny' :) )**

 **The Manny- Part II-** **Spaghetti Oh-Noes**

 **In which Caroline considers Katherine's words, hypothetically of course.**

* * *

After a thoroughly awkward car ride made worse by Katherine's snickers, Caroline found herself in her kitchen stirring a pot of spaghetti noodles. Thankfully, she had managed to convince Will to give up on the hot dog idea, but not without a few more thinly veiled comments from a certain soon-to-be-dead brunette.

Sighing, Caroline turned her attention to the meatballs cooking in the oven, deciding they looked just about ready, and was about to look for a jar of pasta sauce when a voice interrupted her.

"Can I help you with anything, love?"

Caroline turned to find Klaus leaning against the kitchen doorway, looking unfairly good in his tight Henley as he smiled at her.

"Um, you can grab a jar of sauce from the cabinet," she said before turning around quickly to hide her developing blush, grabbing the wooden spoon again to poke needlessly at the noodles.

"Any preference?" she heard him ask as he rummaged through the shelf.

"Anything is fine," she called over her shoulder, trying not to ogle the sight of Klaus bent over as he looked through the lower cabinet. _Damn Katherine and her putting ideas in my head!_ "They're all Will-approved."

Klaus chuckled as he grabbed a jar, bringing it over to the stove and popping the lid. "He's actually one of the least picky children I've worked with, you know," he said conversationally, leaning back against the counter as he watched her stir. "You're quite lucky in that regard."

"In many, actually," she said, shooting him a genuine smile as she thought about her son.

"He is a wonderful child," Klaus agreed, sharing her smile. "Very smart and quite witty too. Though I worry sometimes about the influence of his Aunt," he teased, smirking.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "What did she do this time?"

"Oh nothing much," he laughed, pouring the sauce into a pot Caroline had pulled out and setting it on the stove to heat up. "They're currently blowing bubbles in the bathroom, though I believe more soap is ending up on the floor than in bubble form."

She turned the stove off and moved to drain the pasta in the sink with a sigh of exasperation. "Well, at least they'll be clean when they come to dinner."

"True," Klaus said with a laugh.

Caroline hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Klaus. "I'm sorry about Katherine's comments earlier. She really has no filter. I hope you weren't offended."

Klaus grinned, pulling the sauce from the heat before he checked on the meatballs. "Not at all, sweetheart." He pulled on a crocodile oven mitt and pulled the finished meatballs from the oven before turning it off. "I'm sure it was just her way of trying to help you out. A rather crass way, to be sure, but still with good intentions, I think," he added, unable to meet her eyes.

"Help me…?" Caroline wondered absently for a moment, brows furrowed in thought before she understood. "Oh! Um, I mean, well, she shouldn't! Because that would be inappropriate, right? Because you work under me- for me! With my son! And, mixing business and pleasure, not that I'm assuming there would be pleasure- crap. I need to stop talking," she stammered, slapping a hand to her forehead as she squeezed her eyes closed in embarrassment.

When she looked up again she was surprised to see Klaus standing in front of her, not looking angry or offended, but concerned. About her.

"I don't know if it would be considered appropriate, true," he began, catching her eye and holding her gaze. "But I also don't know if what other people consider proper should be what holds you back from something you want."

Caroline wasn't sure what to say to that. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she could come up with an intelligible response. "I guess you're right," she said slowly, studying him intently, trying to understand the intriguing man before her. "It isn't something we should do lightly though. Hypothetically speaking, of course," she added.

"Of course," he agreed with a grin.

Caroline couldn't help smiling back as she grabbed the plates while Klaus moved to the silverware drawer.

"And hypothetically speaking," he said softly as he paused in his path to the dining room. "There would most certainly be pleasure."

A shiver ran down her spine as she took a deep breath, steadying herself before she followed, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she ran into Katherine as she turned the corner.

"Jeez, Kat! Lurk much?"

The brunette looked at her consideringly before she spoke. "Just came to give you a hand while Will washed up."

"Well, you can start putting the food in serving bowls while I put out the plates," Caroline directed before heading down the hall.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

Dinner went without much incident, only two meatballs ended up on the floor; one from Will, which was to be expected, and one from Katherine when she tried to teach Will how to use a spoon to eat spaghetti instead of a fork. Fortunately, it was time for ice cream, and Caroline was fairly certain neither of the two would dare to waste any of that on silly games.

"How is it, sweetie?"

Will looked up from his bowl of strawberry ice cream with a huge pink grin. "Yummy!"

Caroline smiled. "How bout you, Kat? I haven't tried that brand of rocky road yet, how is it?"

Katherine looked up at her, a small smirk tugging at her lips that immediately set Caroline on edge. "Oh, I haven't tasted it yet, but I'm sure there will certainly be _pleasure_."

Caroline could vaguely hear Klaus choke on his dessert as she rested her face in the palms of her hands, slowly shaking her head back and forth as Will asked if she had an ice cream headache. Oh, she had a headache alright, but it was most definitely not caused by the ice cream.


	6. 13 Years

**Day 5: All Human (Regular Joes)**

 **I used a prompt from freckledsouls for this: Childhood best friends AU.**

 **So this is AH/AU and is just stupid fluffy :)**

 **In which Caroline and Klaus grow up together, and then maybe just grow together.**

* * *

 _5_

"Give it back, Damon!"

"No way, Blondie. It's mine now."

Caroline clenched her hands into fists at her sides, tears threatening to stream down her cheeks as she glared at the older boy. "Bunny McFlufferson is mine, Damon! You can't have him!"

The dark haired boy smirked at her, holding the purple stuffed bunny out of reach. "Finders keepers, losers weepers!"

Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Caroline wailed as she chased after Damon. Where was Stefan when you needed him? He had always managed to keep his older brother in check whenever they played at the park, but ever since Elena had invited him to play house with her he was hardly ever around anymore.

Suddenly Caroline ground to a halt, watching in shock and awe as Damon face-planted in the sandbox. She looked up to see another boy about his age standing over him wearing a scowl.

"I don't think this belongs to you," the new boy said in a funny voice as he reached down and retrieved Bunny McFlufferson.

Caroline stood silently captivated by the new boy as he walked up to her, dusting off her stuffed animal before returning it to her grasp.

"This is yours, isn't it?" he asked, giving her a shy smile.

"Your voice is weird," Caroline said as she stared up into a pair of blue eyes.

The boy frowned for a moment before he replied. "I'm from England. Everyone talks like me over there. My family just moved here."

"Oh," she said, not really understanding. "I'm Caroline. Thank you for saving Bunny McFlufferson," she said enthusiastically, hugging the plush tightly against her chest.

"My name is Klaus."

"Your name is weird too. Let's be friends. Do you like the swings?" she said in rapid succession, grabbing his hand before he could reply and pulling him towards the playground equipment.

* * *

 _9_

"Caroline, hurry up!"

"I'm coming! Wait!" Caroline cried as she raced down the hall, throwing open the screen door and ignoring her mother's yell to slow down. "Did you bring it?!"

Klaus gave her a devious grin keeping his hands behind his back.

"Klaaaaauuus," she whined, stamping her foot in annoyance.

The blonde boy laughed, finally showing her his hands.

Caroline squealed in delight, grabbing for the bag of Maltesers and eagerly ripping it open. "Thank you!" she said belatedly, mouth full of the chocolate candy.

"You're welcome, Caroline," Klaus said shaking his head in amusement. He wasn't sure why she was always so excited for the candy he would bring back from his summer trips to England, but he always enjoyed the way her face would light up when he gave her a bag. "Now come on, Bonnie was already threatening to hex Kol when I left to get you, we shouldn't leave those two alone for too long."

"You know she can't really do magic, right?" Caroline questioned, digging in the bag for more candy as they walked down the street to Klaus' house.

"I know, but she throws a mean rock."

"Well, Kol is annoying, he probably deserves it if she does," Caroline assured him, defending her friend.

"Probably," Klaus agreed.

"What about your sister? Where is she?"

"Elena and Katherine wanted to play dress up and you know that's Rebekah's favorite," he said with a grimace, clearly not a fan of the game.

"Yeah," she agreed, not particularly interested in joining the girls that day. She much preferred to spend time playing with Klaus. "Can we play in the treehouse today?"

"Of course," Klaus said, smiling over at her. "That's where I left Bonnie and Kol."

"Klaus! She'll probably push him out of the tree house! Again!"

"Well, we should hurry then, come on!" he said, grabbing her hand in his and racing down the sidewalk.

* * *

 _13_

"What's high school like?"

"The same as middle school," he drawled, staring up at the ceiling.

"Really? Cause the movies and tv makes it seem, I dunno, more important or something," Caroline said as she flipped the channel again, bored with the Saturday afternoon offerings.

"Well, there is one difference," Klaus admitted, turning his head and looking down from his spot on the couch to where she was lounging on the carpet.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly, turning away from the tv and looking at him intently.

"More homework," he said with a grin, laughing at the pillow that smacked him in the face.

"Jerk," she mumbled, crossing her arms. "Let's watch a movie."

"Guest's choice."

"The Princess Bride!" she said without hesitation, crawling over to the DVD cabinet.

"Again?" he groaned, letting his head fall back against the armrest.

"You said it was my choice! And you know you love it too, Klaus!"

"Fiiiine. I just wish it wasn't so bloody sappy."

"That's the best part!" Caroline scoffed, walking back over to the couch and prodding him until he was sitting upright. "Buttercup and Westley are soulmates! How he always loved her even though she didn't know! They were just meant to be! I hope I can find a guy like that someday."

Klaus frowned at that, though he wasn't sure why. "Whatever, sweetheart. And quit pushing me already, what do you want?"

Caroline fought the blush that threatened to cover her cheeks every time he used those British terms of endearment, something he had started doing after he came back from England last summer. "I want to sit on the couch too, duh," she said, rolling her eyes as she smushed herself between him and the arm of the couch.

"Caroline, there is plenty of couch, why do you always insist on crowding against me?"

"Because it's comfy! Plus I like leaning on you. We've always sat like this."

"Yes, but don't you think we're getting too old for that now?"

"For what?" she questioned, confused. "To be comfortable? Just be quiet and hit play, Klaus."

Klaus rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the heat he felt in his cheeks when Caroline leaned her head on his shoulder as the opening scene began.

* * *

 _16_

"I can't believe you're graduating tomorrow."

"Jealous?"

"No, I mean, I can't believe you passed all your classes."

" _Caroline_."

The blonde girl giggled, ducking the mortarboard that was thrown halfheartedly at her head. "What? Mr. Saltzman totally had it out for you, I'm honestly surprised."

"I suppose he realized he would have to see me again next year if he failed me," Klaus grumbled, peeling off the maroon robe and laying it on a chair.

"True. Hey, you're still gonna come to the bonfire after graduation, right? You promised!" she added as she noticed his frown.

"Caroline, you know how I hate those things. Besides, why would I want to go just to watch you make out with Matt Donovan?"

She shot him a glare. "Matt and I broke up last week, you ass. You might have known that if you weren't so busy sucking face with Camilla all the damn time!"

"Her name is Camille, and we do not 'suck face.' Besides, we both agreed to end things before college. We weren't interested in trying long distance."

"Oh," Caroline said, anger deflating at his words.

"I'm sorry about Matt," Klaus said after an extended silence. "He was never good enough for you anyway."

"Thanks," she said softly, giving him a small smile. "I'm sorry too, about Camille. She was annoying, always trying to psychoanalyze everyone."

Klaus couldn't help but laugh at her bluntness. "Come here, love," he said, holding his arms open. "I'm sure you'll find someone one day who deserves you."

She was quick to fall into his arms, sighing against his shoulder as she settled into the familiar embrace, wishing she could just stay there forever as a blush bloomed on her face. "You won't forget about me when you're all grown up and off at college, right?" she asked softly.

"Of course not!" he said firmly, pulling back to look in her eyes. "You're my best friend, Caroline, you always will be."

"You're mine too," she said with a tight smile, pulling him back into a hug again as she hoped they would always be this close. She wouldn't dare hope for more.

* * *

 _18_

"You know you didn't have to come, Klaus. I told you I'd be fine to go alone."

"Nonsense. That good for nothing cheat Tyler Lockwood ditched you for that Healey girl. I'm not going to let the most important person in my life go to her senior prom alone."

"Thanks, Klaus," she said, smiling wide even though he couldn't see it through her closed bedroom door. "Okay, here I come!"

Caroline took a deep breath, not really sure why she was suddenly so nervous. It was only Klaus on the other side of the door… Right?

"Caroline… You look ravishing, love," Klaus breathed, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. All in all it was a great reaction, just not one she had been expecting from only her best friend.

"Thanks," she said with a blush, hands twisting nervously in front of her. "Um, so, we should get going, right? My mom wants us to take tons of pictures since she couldn't get away from work."

Klaus studied her for a moment, seeming to think something over before he spoke. "As you wish."

Caroline looked at him questioningly for a moment in surprise, memories flitting through her mind. He couldn't be… Could he? "Klaus?"

"Caroline, we've been friends for more than thirteen years. I love being your best friend, and I don't want to lose that. But… I can't say that I don't want something… more."

She could only stare at him in shock as he stepped closer, one hand moving up to slide against her cheek.

"Caroline… Tell me to stop. We can go back to just being friends. We can pretend this never happened. We can-"

Klaus was cut off by her lips pressing against his, her hands grasping his shoulders and holding him in place. After a few moments she pulled back, leaving a surprised Klaus to gape down at her.

"Caroline, does this mean…?"

"That I've been waiting for you to make a move for years?" she questioned in response, raising a brow in amusement. "Now come on, we're gonna be late."

Klaus could only follow as she grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his before pulling him down the hall and out the door, a large grin slowly forming on his face.

* * *

 **Bonus points if you get the Princess Bride reference. If you don't, go watch the movie (and enjoy all the Klaroline Princess Bride AUs you get stuck in your head, you're welcome in advance), you won't regret it!**


End file.
